Tube-coupling



I (No Moc lel.)

G. N. RILEY.

TUBE GOUPLING. No. 374,557. Patented Dec. 6-, 1887.

U ITED STATES PATENT Genres.

GEORGE N. RILEY, OF BRADDOOK, PENNSYLVANIA.

TUBE-COUPLINGRH SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,557, dated December 6, 1887.

Application filed December 13, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gnouen NLRILEY, of Braddock, in the county' of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tube-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the couplings for tubing, its object being to provide asimple and efficient tube-joint in which the tubing is held within the coupling against longitudinal strain by the lead or other calking material within the coupling-sleeve, the invention being an improvement on Letters Patent granted to Edmund O. Converse August 28, 1883, No. 283,974. In said Letters Patent is described a coupling-sleeve having an inner central face or faces within which the ends of the tubing fit, and beyond the same calking-recesses having inwardly-flaring sides, and the tubing is provided with lugs or projections near the ends thereof, the tubing being held within the coupling by means of lead or other suitable calking material,agai nst which the lugs on the tubing press, while the calking material is held within the calking-recesses by the inwardly-flaring sides thereof. tubing was by the pressure of the lugs against the lead, and as the lugs had only asmall surface-bearing thereon it is evident that there was not a very strong hold against such longitudinal strain, and the purpose of my invention is to provide a greater surface-bearing upon the lead within the calking-recesses, and therefore a greater hold of the lead upon the tubing to sustain the longitudinal strain thereof. This I- obtain by employing, in connection with the lugs on the tubing, aloose ring fitting around the tubing and against the lugs, this loose ring giving a bearing on the calking material around the entire circumference of the pipe, so that the longitudinal strain is distributed from the lugs to the loose ring fitting against the same, and thence to the lead held within the inwardly-flaring oalking-recesses.

To enable others skilled in the art to employ my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective sectional view of a coupling, showing one tube-section con In this coupling the onlyhold of the Serial No. 221,400. No model.)

nected 'within the coupling sleeve or collar and the other about to enter'the same. Fig. 2 is a view of the ring employed with the tubing. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the coupling, showing my invention employed with a Converse joint, such as shown in Letters Patent No. 283,971.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

The coupling sleeve or collar a may be either formed of wrought or cast'metal, being preferably formed of wrought metal when it is employed in joints for gas-mains, as the gas under a high pressure isliable to pass through the pores of the cast metal, which is prevented by the close texture of the wrought metal. j

The coupling is provided with the inner face or faces, I), having either the central ring, 0, against which the ends of the tubing butt or bear, and an inner face, I), on each sidethereof,

as in Fig. 1, or the central inner face,b,within threads therein, the tubing having near the ends thereof the lugs or rivets f, which preferably enter sockets-g, formed at the ends of the inner face or faces, b, of the collar a,s0 preventing the tubing from turning withinthe socket. Fitting loosely around the tube-section beyond these lugs is the ring h,this ring being formed of wrought-iron or steel bent to shape with its end'si free, so that it can be sprung open to pass beyond the lugsf on the tubing, and in forming the joint the tube section is entered within the collar or sleeve until the lugs f fit within the calking-recesses against the ends of the inner face orfaces,and the rings h are then slipped along the tube until they fit against the lugs f. The lead or other suitable material it and the ends of the collar, so holding the tube-sections within the collar, and in case of any longitudinal strain upon the tubing that strain is distributed from the lugs f thereon to the ring fitting around the tubing, and from the ring to the lead within the calking-recesses, and as the lead is confined within the inwardly-flaring portion of the calking-recesses the strain upon the ring acts by its pressure upon the lead to compact thelead within these calking-recesses, and as the lead is confined therein it holds the tubing within the collar so as to sustain the tubing against such longitudinal strain.

The rings h have their faces formed curved or tapering corresponding to the depression or inwardly-flaring portions of the calking-recesses, so that there is no liability of the rings cutting the lead, their action being simply to cause the compression of the lead between their outer faces and the calkingrecesses and to en able the lead to hold the tube-sections within the collar. These devices may be employed, as shown in Fig. 3, in connection with the Converse j oint, having locking-recesses within the collar-such as shown in the Patent N o. 283,971-and similar joints, the coupling collars or sleeves having the locking-recesses k and the tubing having lugs or other connecting devices engaging therewith so as to lock the tubing within the collar, and the tubing having a series of lugs, f, back of said connecting devices, and the rings h, fitting against these lugs, so that when the joint is made and the lead secured within the calking-recesses the tube-sections are held within the collar not only by the locking devices, as above referred to, but by the compression ofihe lead by means of the ring pressing against the lead, as above set forth.

Myimprovedjoint made in this manner may be employed with any form of coupling having a locking-connection between the tubing and the coupling-collar, and will act in connection therewith to'greatly increase the hold of the collar upon the tube-sections, and so aid the collar inholding the tubing against longitudinal strain. Bythe employment of the loose ring fitting around the tubeaseotions the pressure from the lugs is distributed over the entire surface of the lead within the calkingl recesses, and consequently a much stronger connection between the coupling-collar and the tube-sections is obtained than if the only hold between the collar and the tube-sections was by means of the lugs themselves. These lugs can be secured to the tube-sections at a very small cost, and the joint can therefore be made much cheaper than if the continuous collar were welded or shrunken upon the tubing, as shown in Letters Patent No'. 283,972, granted to said Converse August 28, 1883. At the same time, where it is found necessary to deflect the pipe, as is often the case, the lugs and the loose ring act to hold the tubing within the collar even though such deflection is made.

I am aware that a spring packing-ring has been used in connection with pipe-joints.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In tube-couplings, the combination, with a collar provided with annular inwardly-flaring calking-recesses at the ends, of the tubing having lugs thereon and a loose ring fitting against said lugs and within the calking-recesses,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In tube-couplings, the combination, with a coupling'collar having annular inwardlyflaring calking-recesses at the ends, of the tubing having lugs thereon and a loose ring fitting against the lugs and within the milkingrecesses, said loose ring having a curved or beveled face corresponding in shape to the inwardly-flaring calking-recesses, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In tube-couplings, the combination, with a coupling-collar having annular inwardlyflaring calking-recesses at the ends and tubesections adapted toengage therewith by suitable locking devices, of lugs on the tubing and loose rings fitting against said lugs within the calking-recesses, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said GEORGE N. RILEY, have hereunto set my hand.

J. N. COOKE, R0121. D. TOTTEN. 

